Politics

Conduct your campaigns peacefully – Goodluck Jonathan to Obi

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has urged the Labour Party (LP), other political parties and their supporters to conduct their campaign rallies peacefully.

He spoke on Friday when the LP presidential candidate, Peter Obi paid him a courtesy visit at his home in Bayelsa State.

The ex-Nigerian leader also told the former governor of Anambra state that whoever becomes Nigeria’s next president must work towards uniting the nation.

Obi was in Bayelsa as part of his campaigns to seek support from residents of the state ahead of the 2023 presidential election.

Jonathan, who announced the visit in a post on his Twitter page also said there must be free, fair and credible elections in 2023.

Taking to his verified Twitter handle, he wrote; “Today I received in audience members of the Presidential Campaign Council of the @NgLabour led by its presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi.

“I reiterated that to move Nigeria forward, we all must see it as our own country and believe in the unity of the nation. Whoever becomes the next president must work towards uniting the nation.

“I also stressed on the need for a credible election and urged the Labour Party and all other parties and their supporters to conduct their campaigns peacefully.”

Meanwhile, CorrectNG reported earlier that Jonathan addressed reports which made rounds in some quarters that he intends to run for presidency again.

Goodluck was voted out of office in 2015 after serving one term.

He said that contrary to speculations he would not join the contest to be president.

This was contained in a book titled, ‘My Time As Chaplain In Aso Rock,” written by Nathaniel Bivan and presented to the public on Tuesday.

The book detailed the accounts of the Chaplain of the Aso Rock Villa Chapel during Jonathan’s time in office, Obioma Onwuzurumba, Daily Post reports.

Jonathan explained he can’t run for the highest office in the country again because he was pursued out of Aso Rock.

According to the ex-president, he would be bringing himself low by choosing to pick a nomination form and start lobbying people as well as campaigning afresh.

He also spoke about what he felt when Nomadic Pastoralists and Almajirai community purchased the All Progressives Congress (APC), N100 million presidential nomination form on his behalf.

The former Bayelsa state governor said he enjoyed the drama that accompanied the act because he can never become President again.

Jonathan said; “I was enjoying the drama. At least they are not insulting me. After all, I was pursued out of the office that I was not good enough. So, if now, Nigerians are saying, ‘Oh, this man should come,’ that means they are cleaning me up. So, let me enjoy the drama.

“If you wake up tomorrow and see that I’m President again, that means there may have been circumstances beyond my control. But not to go and pick one form and go and start lobbying people and running for campaigns, be it PDP power or APC broom and moving across Nigeria. I can’t do that again; if I do that, I will diminish myself.”